George Richard DeVore, Class of 1956

George Richard DeVore ’56 died May 5, 2019. Dick was born Dec. 6, 1929 in Columbus to the late George and Frances (Bentz) DeVore. He graduated from Galena High School in 1947, he was a proud member of their Delaware County League Basketball 46-47 championship team. He attended Otterbein briefly but in 1956, he graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Following in his father’s footsteps, he became a second generation family funeral director and embalmer.

He began his career serving in Galena in 1956 with his parents and the DeVore Funeral Home. In 1960 he came to the square of Sunbury and opened the second location the DeVore Funeral Home and expanded again in 1967 with opening of their Marengo chapel. Along with his wife Phyllis, son Garee; a third generation funeral director, and daughter Beth, together side by side they operated the family concern until partnering with the Snyder family of funeral homes in 1993. He was a 60 year member of the Sparrow Lodge #400 F&AM, AASR Valley of Columbus, Shriners of North America, and the Sunbury United Methodist Church.

Dick is survived by his wife Phyllis (Griffin), son Garee DeVore, daughter Elizabeth “Beth” (Don) Kaltenbach, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his sister Joan, brother-in-law Harold “Cobb” Farris, son David Durrett.